Cassie has taken the stand in court and has revealed how much Sean 'Diddy' Combs paid her to settle a 2023 abuse lawsuit.
The case, filed on November 16, 2023, in a New York court, accused the hip-hop icon of years of physical and sexual abuse, coercive control, and creating a hostile work environment.
But less than 24 hours later, both sides confirmed they had agreed to settle the matter privately.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Cassie — full name Cassandra Ventura — said in a statement to NBC News. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Cassie’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, added: “I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit. She ought to be commended for doing so.”
Cassie and Diddy dated on and off for nearly a decade before calling it quits in 2018.
But in her lawsuit, Cassie claimed that their relationship was anything but romantic behind closed doors.
According to court documents obtained by NBC News, Cassie said she was “lured” into dating Diddy — who she described as a “vicious, cruel, and controlling man” — shortly after signing with his record label.
She said she feared retaliation if she rejected his advances.
She alleged he “punched, beat, kicked and stomped on” her during their relationship, forced her into sex acts with male sex workers, and raped her in 2018 after they had dinner to discuss a breakup.
Now, with Diddy in court in a high-profile trial, the exact amount that was transferred from him to Cassie has been revealed.
He paid her $20 million — and she says the money wasn’t about silence, but survival.
“I wanted to be compensated for the time and the pain and the many, many years of having to try to fix my life,” she said in court, as reported by The Washington Post. But ultimately, she told the jury, she's testifying now “to do the right thing.”
Reflecting on her involvement in Combs' infamous “freak-off” parties — where she and others were allegedly exploited and abused — Cassie spoke with raw honesty: “I can’t carry the shame, the guilt. I was guided to treat people like they were disposable.”
Cassie also confirmed she had been considering a tell-all book at the time of the lawsuit. But now, her words are going straight to the courtroom.
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Amongst the allegations that she has made on the stand was that Diddy raped her in 2018 while she was in a new relationship.
According to E News, Cassie said that she had met up with Diddy at a Malibu restaurant and that he was being "really nice".
She alleged that he then took her back to his apartment and sexually assaulted her.
"I went inside, he came in and raped me on the living room floor,” she told the court. “I just remember crying and saying no, but it was very fast. His eyes were black, he wasn’t himself, it was like somebody taking something from you."
Diddy's lawyer maintains that he did not engage in non-consensual sex with anyone, and those accusing him of such crimes participated willingly.